On the Southeast Coast, the September nights remained stiflingly hot.
It was already past 11:00 PM.
The university dormitory’s power and internet had been cut for the night, but several students had ordered takeout and bought alcohol.
They were currently huddled around a folding table, drinking beer in the air-conditioned room, making quite a racket.
Before long, most of the crate of beer had been reduced to empty cans, and everyone was starting to feel a bit tipsy.
When people drank too much, their topics of conversation naturally became wild and imaginative.
One moment they were discussing what time classes started tomorrow and who would help sign in for the whole dorm, and the next, they were talking about politics that would never pass censorship.
Then they moved on to the sea of stars, using their meager knowledge from clickbait articles to fantasize about whether extraterrestrial life existed, before finally circling back to women.
The two topics weren’t even remotely related, yet they chatted happily without a single awkward silence.
While they were enjoying themselves, the balcony door was suddenly pushed open.
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
A lean, small-statured youth walked into the dorm carrying a washbasin.
He had just finished showering.
His overly long hair was still wet, clinging to his forehead and temples with water dripping from the ends.
His legs were bare, and he wore a white button-down shirt as pajamas. The orange light from the balcony enveloped his figure, giving him a delicate, youthful appearance.
“Bai Yao! Come over and have a drink?”
“I don’t drink.”
Bai Yao was somewhat of an outcast.
Nearly a month into the semester, he hadn’t managed to become friends with his roommates.
He had very little presence, silently following his roommates to class, eating at the cafeteria, and returning to the dorm every day without saying more than two words.
He picked up a hairdryer, plugged it into a power strip, and stood before the mirror to dry his hair, his brows furrowing slightly from a headache.
‘It’s already eleven, and they’re still so noisy…’
Since starting university, Bai Yao had hardly had a single night of good sleep.
“Come have a drink! Don’t be such a loner!”
“If he can’t drink, then forget it.”
“Bai Yao, do you even have anything between your legs? Are you a man? You can’t even handle a drink.”
Because of his delicate features, Bai Yao was often the target of one particular roommate’s teasing and ridicule.
Although it made him very uncomfortable, he was too lazy to argue.
After drying his hair until it was just slightly damp, Bai Yao climbed up the ladder to his bed.
He burrowed into his covers, lying on his side facing the wall, curling up to play on his phone and read novels.
A faint drowsiness began to wash over him, but the dorm remained noisy.
The ruckus continued until 12:00 AM.
Only when he heard the sound of them clearing the table and chairs to go wash up did Bai Yao finally breathe a small sigh of relief.
‘I can finally get some sleep…’
He felt a flicker of joy.
“Let’s sleep, let’s sleep.”
“Wait! Let’s play a couple rounds of Honor of Kings? Get online, get online!”
“Holy crap! How did we get wiped out as soon as we left the base?! Surrender, next game!”
He closed his eyes in despair.
Bai Yao leaned against his pillow dizzily.
He wanted to get up and tell them to be quiet, but he was afraid that speaking would make his sleepiness vanish completely.
He rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
The clamor in his ears never stopped; in fact, it seemed to be escalating.
Even though he was dying of exhaustion, the anger of being unable to sleep due to the noise accumulated bit by bit until he finally reached his limit.
“Be quiet! Are you going to sleep or not!”
Bai Yao suddenly slapped his bedframe and shouted.
The entire dormitory fell silent instantly.
Only then did he lie back down, curling into an annoyed ball, hoping to fall asleep quickly while it was quiet.
However, that one shout had caused his drowsiness to vanish without a trace.
“…”
After ten minutes of silence, assuming Bai Yao had fallen asleep, a roommate started whispering again:
“Damn, I got instakilled!”
“Don’t be a coward during team fights.”
Bai Yao scratched the back of his head in frustration.
Between the lack of sleep and the poor quality of what little rest he got, he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
‘There are classes at 8:00 AM tomorrow, okay? Even if you guys don’t go, I still have to!’
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He was so tired he wanted to die.
[At 18, you successfully enrolled in an undergraduate institution. However, six months into the semester, you were diagnosed with a serious illness and took a leave of absence.]
“Huh?”
[At 19, you entered an online relationship. Your partner moved to your city for university. Deeply moved, you chose the person who loved you.]
[At 24, your savings were zero. You spent every penny on love. Your partner cheated on you. After enduring it for six months, you broke up and moved back home.]
[Upon returning to your hometown, forced by your family, you bought a house and took on a thirty-year mortgage.]
[At 25, you learned how to date. Addicted to desire and love, you participated in Silver Parties in search of excitement. Your life became decadent. One year later, you became a 100-Person Slayer!]
[At 29, you accidentally ruined your body and were hospitalized. Your family viewed you as a disgrace…]
“What the hell?!”
[At 31, you lost your job. You have no love, no family ties, no savings, and no motivation. Burdened by a mortgage, you are addicted to tobacco, alcohol, and sex. You binge-eat, your body is out of shape, and your health is deteriorating. Not even the dating scene wants you anymore. You have achieved nothing.]
[…What a failed life…]
‘It’s over! Have I reached the point of auditory hallucinations from insomnia and exhaustion? I’ll go to the psychiatric department tomorrow. I’ll get a diagnosis and have the counselor change my dorm room.’
Bai Yao shook his head dizzily, covering his forehead and tapping it twice.
‘Serious illness? Leave of absence?’
‘Online relationship? Five years? And I got cheated on?’
‘Silver Parties? Hospitalized for playing too hard? Isn’t that just being a slut? But I haven’t even been in a relationship!’
‘And addicted to tobacco and alcohol? I don’t even drink!’
[Your life is terrible, so terrible you want to die…]
‘No, no, no, I just have insomnia!’
[But at 31, there is still time to fight! It is not too late for anything. Change yourself, improve yourself—you still have the chance to rewrite everything!]
“???”
‘I’m only eighteen this year!’
Although university life was indeed a mess, at least Bai Yao wasn’t burdened with a thirty-year mortgage!
[Bai Yao, congratulations on activating the System! You will become a Heartthrob! You will become the most outstanding woman! You will gain everything you once lacked! Reverse your terrible life!]
‘A Heartthrob? I have no interest in that!’
‘Wait! Woman? You even got my gender wrong!’
Bai Yao complained dizzily at the hallucinations, feeling a certain string in his brain suddenly snap as his consciousness plummeted into darkness.
*
“Wake up! Bai Yao!”
The bedframe shook twice.
Bai Yao was jolted awake, his eyes widening in panic.
His tear-filled eyes stared blankly at the roommate by his bed.
Chen Zhilong froze.
It was the first time he had seen this roommate look so panicked and pitiful, with eyes brimming with tears.
“What are you crying for?”
“Huh? A nightmare, maybe?”
Bai Yao hurriedly wiped away his tears.
Feeling ashamed, he rolled over to face the wall, giving Chen Zhilong his back for fear of being teased.
He didn’t even know what he had dreamed about, but his pillow was soaked through with tears.
“It’s 7:50 AM,” Chen Zhilong said, leaning his shoulder against the ladder and yawning.
“If you don’t get up, you’re going to be late.”
Today they had a class at 8:00 AM—well, specifically 8:20 AM.
“Okay.”
Bai Yao pulled his emotions together and returned to his usual taciturn state.
He stretched, using the stinging sensation of the stretch to dispel the lingering grogginess.
As he sat up and prepared to get out of bed, he suddenly remembered the hallucinations from before he slept.
It seemed his mental health really was in trouble…
[You crave love. You spent all your savings on a man, and your countless concessions were met only with betrayal, turning you into a clown. You gave up on yourself, finding brief solace only in physical pleasure. You crave attention, yet you have always been alone.]
[Objective: Obtain a man’s attention. Reward: 100 Cash.]
“???”
Bai Yao looked around suspiciously.
Aside from Chen Zhilong, who was putting on his shoes and clothes, the other roommates were still asleep after drinking too much last night.
It was unlikely that Chen Zhilong would say something so strange to him.
He scratched his head in doubt.
Realizing he was almost late, he turned and began climbing down the ladder.
Hearing the sound of Bai Yao getting out of bed, Chen Zhilong looked up.
When other men slept, they either wore just boxers or went shirtless.
It was his first time seeing a man who liked to leave his legs bare while only wearing a shirt.
He had to admit, Bai Yao’s legs were quite nice.
The hair was sparse, and they were fair and slender—not really the kind of legs a man should have.
Chen Zhilong looked for a moment longer before suddenly feeling a bit like a pervert, and he quickly lowered his head.
[Mission complete. Reward has been issued.]
The phone in Bai Yao’s hand vibrated slightly. He froze, hanging onto the ladder as he checked his screen.
[Transaction Alert: 100 Yuan deposited. Memo: Living expenses, please don’t spend it recklessly.]
“!!!”
‘Is this for real?!’